Benu's Alchemist
by AndromacheTakaya
Summary: Edward and Alphonse have sworn to each other to find the philosopher's stone to return themselves to normal. but Edward has more than one reason to do so... the horrid guilt he feels stretches beyond his brother's pain.
1. Chapter 1

Chapter I: Bad Start

Chapter I: Bad Start

Edward Elric was having one of those days. The ones where you think everyone is against you.

He sat in front of the desk of the East HQ Colonel. The problem was, the Colonel wasn't there.

"0800 hours and don't be late." Edward said, mimicking the Colonel's voice. "I guess pompous windbags who are full of themselves aren't counted late to their own meetings."

"I heard that, young Elric."

Edward tensed. Behind him, a wookie-sized man (though quite the opposite of a wookie's hair patterns) by the name of Major Alex Louis Armstrong stood with his arms folded across his chest.

"Uh-hey-there-major-what-are-you-doing-here?" Squeaked Edward, knowing all too well that one wrong word could have the over-expressive Major ripping off his shirt (the guy must have a wardrobe full of them) and crying his eyes out while hugging Edward and unconsciously, if not accidentally, crushing every bone in his body.

However, knowing how the Colonel loved to give Edward a hard time, and knowing that the Colonel knew full well Major Armstrong's emotional tendencies, he may well have sent Major Armstrong in to, oh say, put Edward in the hospital? And then, knowing Mustang, he would end up in the _pediatrics_ ward with some tittering airhead of a nurse who would insist that he lay down and rest like "a good little boy".

While Edward turned this over in his head, thinking of every possible meaning for Major Armstrong being there, and the Colonel's plot that may ultimately lead to his demise, Colonel Mustang came into his office with a cup of coffee in one hand, and a granola bar in the other.

He leaned over to Major Armstrong, who stood with a puzzled look on his face.

"What happened?"

"I'm not quite sure, sir. I came in here to check on him and inform him that you would be late, and suddenly he lapsed into this state."

"Uh-huh." Replied Roy Mustang, smirking. "Thank you, Major Armstrong. You may return to your duties."

After the Major had left, Roy made his way around to his desk, setting his coffee cup down, and placing the granola bar into his desk for later. Then, drawing himself up to his full height, he barked,

"Major Elric! Assume the position of attention in the presence of a superior officer!"

Edward, who had been completely oblivious to anyone and anything for the past few minutes, snapped up, and _almost_ saluted Colonel Mustang. But _almost_ isn't the same as doing. Especially when, after gaining full comprehension of what was actually happening, Edward saw the smug grin playing on Mustang's face when he found he was about to get Edward to respond to an order. And almost to like a true military man, too. Elric: 237, Mustang: 153. He was getting there.

"Damn it Colonel!" grumbled Edward, sitting back down without completing his salute. "First you drag me out of bed at 'o-dark-thirty', then you take forever to get here, try to catch me off guard and get me to salute a morally-bankrupt Colonel like you, and for what? Why am I here?"

Mustang smiled, sitting down in his cushy swivel chair.

"Come now, Edward. Are you really so busy that you can't take some time to come see your superiors? Have you had any coffee this morning? I always stop to get some, or I can't get through my day without blowing something up." He chuckled.

"It's your job to blow things up, Colonel. You're the Flame Alchemist." Edward muttered through clenched teeth. "And of course I didn't have coffee this morning, I had no time, hauling myself up here."

"Maybe it's just as well." Replied Mustang. "They say that coffee stunts your growth, and you're already small enough as it is."

That was it. Edward _hated_ anyone commenting on his height. It drove him up the wall.

"WHO ARE YOU CALLING SO SMALL I COULD BE A SINGLE MIDI-CHLORIAN IN THE BODY OF THAT NO GOOD, MISLEAD, BACKWARDS, JEDI-GONE-WRONG ANAKIN SKYWALKER!?" Edward exploded, slamming his hands on the desk that stood between him and Mustang, and leaning over so that he was only a few inches from Mustang's face.

"Alright, alright, Ed." Mustang sighed in mock defeat. Who was this 'Anakin' anyway? Then he sobered. "Please sit down. I can assure you that the reason I have called you here is quite important, and will be of great meaning to you."

Edward sat down, clutching the arms of the chair so that he wouldn't fling himself at the Colonel.

"Well?"

Mustang took a deep breath.

"Myra is awake."


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter II: Three Years Ago

Chapter II: Three Years Ago

"Water, 35 liters; carbon, 20 kilograms; ammonia, 4 liters; lime, 1.5 grams; phosphorous, 800 grams."

"Salt, 250 grams, saltpeter 100, sulfur 80, fluorine 7.5, iron, 5, silicon, 3 grams."

"And trace amounts of fifteen other elements. That's everything, right?"

"Hey. You sure you want to be here, Myra?" Alphonse asked, checking the final preparations for the dangerous alchemy that was about to take place.

"Of course, Al." Replied the young girl next to him. She had short, wavy hair and deep green eyes. "Your mom was just as important to me as she was to you. I won't let you guys do this alone."

"Yeah, but we know the risk of doing something like this. You can't imagine how many things can go wrong if we mess this up." Edward called from the room beyond. He stuck his head out.

"It's always good to have an extra boost with alchemy, but everyone has to be united in their goal. Like one mind. Can you handle that?"

Myra nodded. Edward remembered the day when he and Alphonse had found her only three years ago. His mother had immediately taken her in. Trisha did not deserve the fate she had. A sad death, at a young age.

"But no one's ever done this before, Ed. Are you sure we should do this?" Alphonse asked worriedly.

"Of course!" snapped Edward. "Don't wimp out on me now, Al. We've come too far. It'll work. It _has_ to."

Resolution confirmed, they finished preparation, and took the next step on the dangerous path to get back one loved soul.

It all happened so fast. At first, everything was going fine. The Elric brothers gave their blood as tribute to regain Trisha Elric's soul, and they all poured all their concentration and will into making it work. But then, something happened.

As the elements began to mesh, the alchemic light shifted to a dark mass of swirling color. Things began to break under the force of the winds being created by the alchemy.

"Brother…" she heard Alphonse whisper. "Something's going wrong here."

Then he began to scream.

The lightening flickering around them settled on Alphonse first. It surrounded his arm, breaking it down as she watched.

"Al!" both she and Edward screamed at once. Edward made a grab for his little brother, but missed. Behind him, the alchemic light settled on his left leg and broke it down rapidly.

"Edward!" Myra screamed. "Alphonse!"

She lurched towards them. Alphonse's entire body was being used up in the alchemic trade. He screamed louder.

"Brother! Brother, please!"

"Alphonse!" Edward yelled. "No, Al!"

He reached for Alphonse's hand, but it was too late. The alchemy broke down the last of Al's body and used it to fuel the alchemic bonds.

She was next. As she tried to help her friends, she began to loose consciousness. Before she lost complete sight of them, she whispered four words.

"Nos in perpetuum perditus. _We are forever condemned."_

Edward never heard Myra's words before she lost consciousness. He tried to focus, figure out what was happening. He lost his brother. His little brother was gone, because of his recklessness. Myra was on the ground several feet away, breathing, but barely. Another slice at his heart. And what had he gained out of this? Nothing. The thing that was supposed to be his mother laid dying on the floor, a twitching, wheezing mass of flesh and bone. He had to do something. Had to. Without thinking, he moved over to the suit of armor that had been knocked over by the winds generated during the alchemy. His left leg, taken in the trade, was a bleeding stump, but at this moment, it was ink.

He took some of his blood, drew quick, identical seals on the armor, over his heart, arms, and leg.

"Please give him back." Edward pleaded. "He's all I've got left. Take my heart, my arms, anything you like. Just GIVE ME BACK MY BROTHER!!"

He saw the image of his brother, surrounded by a bright light. This time, he would do something right. He moved, fighting against the creatures from within the Gate that came forth and enveloped him, trying to hold him back, and take all they could. They took his arm as payment before he reached his brother's outline. As the Equivalent Exchange for his brother's soul.

Alphonse woke up. That in itself was astonishing. He remembered being pulled away from his brother by alchemy when they tried to bring back their mom. He remembered the pain, and seeing his body being broken down into its basic elements. But that was the last thing he could remember.

He looked down. His hands were big, and his body was metal. Something had gone horribly wrong.

"Huh?" he breathed. "What is this?"

When he saw Edward, propped up against the wall, bleeding from what was left of a right arm and left leg, he froze.

"I'm sorry…Al…" Edward managed through the pain.

"Brother? What happened to you?" Alphonse said, his voice rising in renewed panic. "And me… what happened to me?"

He moved over to Edward and picked him up. It shocked him how easy it was. Like picking up a rag doll.

"There wasn't much time… I used my right arm as material in a transmutation." Edward said, face damp with sweat. "All I could manage was to attach your soul to the suit of armor in the corner."

"But…what about Mom?" Alphonse whispered. He moved his head towards the pan that had held the ingredients for the human body.

"Don't look, Al!" Edward tried to yell, but it came out in a hoarse whisper. "I don't want you to see it!"

The thing that lay in the pan didn't move. It wasn't human, and didn't last long enough to call it alive. They had failed.

"What about Myra?" Al asked, voice rising even more. "Where is she? Is she okay?"

"She's over by the array." Edward replied. "She's breathing, but I don't know her condition."

"All of your theorems and equations… "Started Alphonse. "They seemed right. I don't understand."

"The math wasn't the problem, Al." Edward said through clenched teeth. "It was us." Then he fainted.

"Please," Begged Al.

He had taken his brother and Myra (god, they're so light!) and gone as quickly as he could to Granny Pinako's house. She would know how to help.

"Help them." He continued to plead. "He's gonna bleed to death!"

Winry was the first to realize who it was inside the giant suit of armor.

"Al?" she whispered. "Is that you?"

Later, after Granny Pinako had bandaged up Edward's wounds and laid Myra down on another bed next to Ed's, they sat and tried to get Alphonse to tell them what had happened.

"We didn't even know you three had come back from training." Said Winry. "How did all this happen?"

"Clearly," Pinako started. "It's a product of mischief. You were trying to bring back your mother, weren't you? How did you manage to get Myra to go along with you? Never mind, I can answer that myself; she'd follow you boys off a cliff if she had to. Such recklessness, trying to bring someone back from the dead."

A voice came from behind them.

"Well, that would explain a lot. A human transmutation."

A tall man with black, wild hair stood by the door. He leaned against the wall, wearing a dripping raincoat.

"I've never seen such a furious reaction before." He continued. He pulled out a pocket watch and showed it to them. "Pardon me."

"A State Alchemist." Pinako seethed. "What are _you_ doing here? I have no time to entertain dogs. Can't you see these children are hurt?"

"Take it easy, ma'am." Replied the man, holding up a letter. "I'm just checking the mail."

Alphonse recognized the letter at once.

"That's one of ours!" he exclaimed. "You know where my Dad is?"

"I wish I did." the man sighed, shaking his head. "We've been looking for him for a long time and we haven't found a single thing yet."

"Well," snapped Pinako. "If you didn't have any information, why did you come here? I would think you dogs were a little smarter than to think Hohenheim was here."

"Let's call it a misplaced curiosity." The man said. "Whatever it was, I'm happy I came. If these kids can attempt a human transmutation and survive, Hohenheim just dropped a wrung on my priority list."

"Get out of this house, now!" Yelled Pinako. "I've had enough with the State, and I've had enough with you! You're just like the rest of them!"

The man retreated to the door, then stopped.

"The name's Lieutenant Colonel Roy Mustang." He said. "Pay me a visit at Central sometime."

Then he opened the door, and left.

After a while, everyone came to their senses.

"What about Myra?" Alphonse asked.

Winry looked at the floor.

"Her vitals are weak." Pinako said. "It's as if all of her energy is being diverted to something else, or was used up to the limit of her strength. She's stable, but weak. Her brain is functioning perfectly, but her body is responding to it only because it's attached to it. It's almost as if it were a hollow shell, a machine being run on autopilot while the captain is away."

"Alphonse." Whispered Winry. "We aren't sure if she'll every wake up again."


End file.
